in custody, a massive piece of hardware raised from the seafloor. now it's evidence in a disaster that cost 11 lives and discountless lidiscouncountless livelihoods in the gulf. the president's big up push on the economy and the election clocis ticking. adult supervision. a popular website under fire blocks its own controversial content, but for how long? and foreign affair. hollywood in hot pursuit of a whole new audience.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. investigators this weekend are gegtd their first close-up look at the critical piece of machinery that was supposed to have prevented the massive bp oil spill. the 300-ton blowout preventer which should have sealed off the flow of oil after the deep water horizon rig exploded is an important piece of evidence. after carefully lifted from the seafloor last evening under the watchful eyes of the fbi. the full explanation is undetermined, but now investigators are a step closer to learning how the tragedy unfolded into this country's largest environmental disaster. nbc's anne thompson was on board the thip that retrieved the preventer and joins us from new orleans with more. ann. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the blowout preventer is now in

the custody of the fbi tonight, making its way to shore and to a nasa facility here in louisiana where it will be inspected for evidence as investigators try to answer the question of why it failed. it emerged slowly from the gulf of mexico, a 1 million pound metal sea creature pulled up as the sunset on the scene of the biggest oil spill in america's history. the final 500 feet of the one-mile journey from the seafloor were the longest. hydrates, the crystals that foiled several attempts to cap the well, created trouble. marvin morrison is the well site leader. >> the hydrates as they come up, they melt and they gas off. so as it's coming to the surface, we have to make sure that we're taking all the safety precautions necessary so that gas is contained and held and bled off promply. >> reporter: the giant tower

hoisted the structure through the center of the vessel. hanging in the dark the emergency brake that failed the night of april 20th when the deep water horizon rig exploded in flames. no it's a 50-foot tall piece of evidence that may yield clues to why this disaster happened. so the men and women working on this operation insist it is just another job, they are well aware the world is watching. and there is one last mission, to forever seal the well from the bottom with the relief well. that h thad allen will give the order to finish the job. >> the pressure is to get the job done and get it over with and get on. >> reporter: do you feel that, too, admiral? do you feel the pressure? >> i don't think it's pressure. it's a huge accountability piece. there's an expectation by the american public that this problem will get solved. >> reporter: this weekend allen said the threat of another leak

from the well is gone, but not the memory of 11 men who died working on that well including marvin morris' friend blair manuel. >> i think of their families, each and every one of them and even blair. i think these guys deserve this. they deserve this to come up, and we need to find out not only for them and their memories but for the industry, because i know they would want it no other way. >> reporter: now, the fbi's evidence response team photographed the hoisting of the blowout preventer, and bp had a team of attorneys on hand as well. i can tell you that once that blowout preventer got on deck, the fbi team immediately went to work looking for evidence. it is very clear that both sides are preparing for what's expected to be a long and extensive investigation. lester. >> anne thompson in louisiana tonight. thank you. in washington and across the couldn't this labor day weekend the battle lines are drawn for

the midterm elections this november. the battle grounground is the e and political power is up for grabs. mike is at the white house tonight with more. >> good evening. that political battle is joined. the control of congress is at stake and some predicting a gop take-over of the house and perhaps the senate, the white house is pulling out all the stops even deploying a not so secret weapon. returns from two days at camp david, president obama stepped off marine one and into an all-out political fight. >> i think if we voted tomorrow, we would do very well. >> reporter: republicans sense victory in november and today attacked the president and his party. >> he governed from the left and he turned the agenda over to the liberals in the house and here we are a few months before the election and this all caught with him. >> the number one issue is the economy. with growth still sluggish and the jobless rate high, democrats are in danger with some now running away from their own

leaders. >> may not be what the washington crowd wants, but i don't work for them. i work for you. >> reporter: angry votes in swing states like ohio want more presidential focus on the economy. >> we're about to lose our house, and they keep talking about all the things they can do to help you. if you don't have a job, sthe can't help you. >> this is a very tough time for the country. >> reporter: this week mr. obama will respond traveling to cleveland on wednesday where he plans town veil a new plan to spur growth, including more tax brakeses for business. meanwhile, democrats are hitting back at the gop's economic record. >> they drove us into the ditch, and if we give the keys back, it's like giving herbert hoover the keys in the mid 1930s. >> reporter: democrats face another problem this fire, a fired-up conservative base worried that their own faithful will stay home election day, party leaders plan to deploy a potent weapon. first lady michelle obama. the administration's most popular figure.

until now a champion of non-partisan causes, mrs. obama will enter the political fray, stumping for democrats and hoping to get obama supporters from 2008 back to the polls this fall. >> the day after the election, the white house does not want anybody to be able to say, well, you know, they didn't do everything they could to try to save the majority. >> reporter: lester, the president starts his week tomorrow in another swing state, wisconsin, and as if to underscore his political problems, the liberal democratic senator there in his own tough re-election fight, russ feingold, plans to be 50 miles way when the president speaks in milwaukee to the labor day crowd. >> for more we're joined by john harwood. we saw a little bit of that story there. given the poor economy, how real is the threat of other democrats turning on the democrat or speaker pelosi in an every man for himself scenario? >> it's happening, and you will

see more this fall. now at this point in the year, every man for himself is less of a threat than it is when they try to pass legislation whether it's difficult like health care. in the campaign it can be an opportunity for members to protect themselves provided it doesn't go too far. >> conversely democratic leaders are ken templating a triage plan where some get party cash and other fend for themselves. it sounds brutal, but could it be the key to the democrats holding the majority? >> the key point, lester, the goal of democratic leaders is not to save any incumbent or win every open seat. they can't do that. the goal is to end up with 218 members to make a majority. that requires to leave some wounded candidates on the battlefield. the tough triage decisions won't come for another month. >> how much will this selection be a test of the influence of the tea party movement. they have a lot of air time and headlines. how will it come down to november? >> it will test the movement in two ways.

one, lester, is that enthusiasm gap na mike was just talking about. the evidence of the tea party has been clear in races all across the country, and republicans are plainly more fired up than democrats. on the other hand, democrats hope that conservative energy has pulled some of the their general election candidates too far to the right in nevada where h harry reid is under fire from sharon engel. that could be a key. >> john harwood, good to talk to you. thank you. overseas to iraq and another suicide bombing. this one targeting one of the main iraqi military commands in baghdad. 12 people were killed and 36 wounded when terrorists detonated a van filled with explosives, then stormed the base. american soldiers returned fire helping to repel the attack. it was the violence of nature in guatemala where landslides killed three dozen people and thousands have

evacuated. two buses were hit as rain-soaked mountainsides gave way trapping passengers and even some rescue teams. cruise in new zealand are checking thousands of building force damage after the earthquake. at least 500 structures have been declared destroyed by the tremor. so powerful it opened a crack in the earth 11 feet wide. an update on the 33 trapped miners in chile. they held an emotional videoconference with their families using new equipment that allowed the families to see and hear their loved ones deep underground. it was a month ago today that a mine collapsed and left the men trapped 2300 feet down. there was a surprise today for any surfing craigslist. a message to visitors about one of the site's most controversial links, one under fire for its adult content. jeff rossen reports. >> reporter: nestled among the ads for real estate, antiques

sxwro and jobs there's the other side of craigslist, the adult services section including thinly veiled offers of prostitution. over the weekend the adult services link was removed and replaced with them. censored, a little black box na leads you nowhere. >> we are thankful that craigslist has shut down the adult services section, and we believe that that act really lessens the suffering of so many girls who are being sold for sex. >> reporter: the website operates around the world, but the link is only blocked in the u.s. craigslist won't say if this is permanent, temporary or simple lay message to its critics, which there are more than. last month attorneys general in 17 states wrote a joint letter to craigslist demanding they remove the adult services section. >> craigslist is operating an online red-light district in obvious and plain view as times square was back in the 1970s or

'80s. >> reporter: it came under heavy scrutiny last year after the arrest of fill live markoff. police say he attacked women that posted adult ads on craigslist echlts charg craigslist. he was charged with murdering one and killed himself later in jail. earlier this year our nbc news hidden camera investigation still found many women on craigslist offering prostitution. >> hi, how are you? >> craigslist has to be held accountab accountable. it's making tens of millions of dollars from these ads, which is outrageous. >> they make millions on those ads, triple what it made last year. >> i hope this has been shut down and is not a game of semantics. >> reporter: tonight the mystery swirls around this single word and the question will it stay or will it go? jeff rossen, nbc news, new york.

when "nightly news" continues this sunday evening, as school days begin again, a new campaign against kids bullying kids. home improvement. how a network of neighbors is joining forces and making a difference. p-a-d... p.a.d. isn't just poor circulation in your legs causing you pain. it more than doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke. i was going to tell you. if you have p.a.d., plavix can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots, the cause of most heart attacks and strokes. call the doctor about plavix -- please? i will. [ male announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk,

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even cyber bullying and now teachers and students are taking a tougher stance. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it was last january's suicide of 15-year-old phoebe prince in massachusetts that many believe was the ultimate example of school bullying. having just emigrated from ireland, she killed herself after being ftormented by students by six fellow students facing charges. >> called her names, followed her home, smart remarks, dirty looks. >> reporter: across the country principals, teachers and psychologists say something's changed in america's schools. >> the prevalence of abuse of children and other children is getting worse. >> reporter: the department of education agrees. recently in washington it gathered the first national school bullying summit. >> i have to tell you, i have very little patience with the argument that kids will be kids,

and there's not much the school can do to make the environment safer. >> reporter: the government reports nearly one out of three students in middle school and high school reported being bullied during the 2007 school year. 1 out of 9 high schoolers, 2.8 million students, said they've been physically abused or spat on during the last year. and 900,000 reported being cyber bullied. this 11-year-old got so fed up with being bullied in her philadelphia school very wrote president obama asking for his help. >> it's hard to be a kid, because you know you're going to school, you got to get your education and you still got to worry about i got to watch this boy because he's going to call me names. >> reporter: she has started her own no bullying campaign hoping it will catch on nationwide. the reasons for the increase in bull bullying. are many. we have a more challenging economy that has increased

tension at home. he says it's virtually impossible for any xhild to thrive in a school when they feel threatened. >> it's not so easy to struggle on insults, and it's impossible to shrug off physical violence. >> reporter: all the more reason the time is now to adopt a zero ta tolerance policy on bullies. hollywood's foreign affair, looking for big bucks overseas. [ woman ] i know. they do, don't they? why is carol sitting all the way over there? carol almost told evan that there are vegetables in the chef boyardee. nearly ruined their favorite after-school snack. so she's in a time-out. i hope she learns from this. [ female announcer ] chef boyardee micro beef ravioli microwave cups. an after-school snack with a full serving of vegetables. just don't tell them. shh.

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it's a national past time keeping track of which movie wins the box office sweeps stakes. so for this labor day weekend "the american" is on top. for hollywood these days the bottom line is increasingly measured how a movie does overseas. we get the story tonight from hollywood. >> reporter: george clooney's

new film may be called "the american" but most of the cast and director is from overseas. they're banking on foreign audiences to bring home big box offices. >> it's good to know. >> we're going to think about the casting, we're going to think about the setting and the story on how it's going to play from a global level. >> reporter: the president of international universal pictures, a division of nbc universal, says unlike a decade ago nowadays most movies must be a hit outside of the united states to be considered a real success. >> you're not in kansas anymore. >> reporter: take the american-made "avatar" it made an impress $700 million domestically but a fraction of the $2 billion made worldwide. in recent years foreign ticket sales have doubled those in

north america. in 2009 international ticket sales accounted for 64% of the staggering $30 billion movie industr industry. sanford is the president of fox international. >> india, russia, brazil. these are significant markets that weren't participating in the overall market share until recently. >> reporter: the global influence is clear even in the most american-themed movies. when "g.i. joe" was casted it got a foreign makeover. they gave supporting roles to international stars hoping to draw a big international audience. >> we're running out of time. >> reporter: it worked. in the end it grossed more broad than at home. >> i think the world is getting smaller. i think young people especially are more aware of so many things, filmmakers, actors from other countries. >> reporter: one reason the foreign film market is booming,

the explosion of new screens. in china, for example, 35,000 new movie screens open there over the next five years. >> a lot of that growth is the emerging market from eastern europe and russia. china is a huge part of that. it was due primarily to those economies improving and expanding. >> reporter: old hollywood taking note of the new scripts even as it still is being written overseas. nbc news, los angeles. up next, our making a difference report. getting those do it yourself projects done with a little help from your friends. wasn't my daughter's cabbage appetizer spectacular?

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finally tonight a story that may resonate with those dusting off those do it yourself manuals in this tough economy, help is on the way and it's cop coming from a growing group of good neighbors. nbc's lee cowan has the story tonight on helping hands making a difference across the country. >> reporter: no matter how new a home is, it's always a work in progress. it's the one problem every neighbor has in common. >> need the muscle. he's the muscle. >> reporter: manny needed help building new front steps, jeremy

needed help refinishing his garage. >> this is great, guys. >> reporter: amy needed help to move an old freezer. >> there's a loss of a sense of community and people helping each other out, so it's a neat idea. >> that idea is davezillion.com, a handyman social networking site. >> this is facebook with productivity involved. >> reporter: it connects neighbors coast to coast who need help with odd jobs offering product tips and a place to share tools. >> homeowners want to save, contractors have problems finding new business. this is like handing it to you. >> reporter: they say davezillion is about something more. >> i think it's about communities helping each other. >> ed helped jeremy with the garage because he helped ed with a new roof. keith is helping chris with the freezer because chris helped him

build a railing. >> the idea is so simple. you're lending a hand. >> reporter: what makes it so special is the nachlt nobody who takes advantage of this website has never met this perfect connecticut neighbor and sadly never will. dave is dave segal, a regular guy, a family man who was everyone's handyman until he died of a heart attack at 43. >> he brought a neighborhood together and really helped you get things done. >> reporter: since a zillion people needed dave, davezillion stopped with a name and idea. a smaller version perhaps of a good old-fashioned barn raising. good fences may make good neighbors, but maybe just helping sweep a porch does the same thing. >> thanks a lot, greg. >> lee cowan, nbc news. >> this is "nbc nightly news" this sunday. stay tuned for